As a collegiate player for UCLA, Afflalo's defensive dominance throughout the 2006–07 season (one example being holding Cal's Ayinde Ubaka to zero points in one of the two teams' matchups), and his 17.4 points per game, led to him being voted the Pac-10 Player of the Year by the other coaches in the conference.[3] He also set the then-school record for most three-point field goals made (87) in a season.[a] Commenting on the award, Afflalo said, "It is good that contributions on both ends of the floor are recognized ... If you truly have a love and passion for the game, then you should work at every aspect of it, not just the part that gives you [attention], that being scoring."[3]

In a 2006 NCAA tournament game against Alabama, Afflalo hit the game-winning three-point shot[5] and also defended Alabama point guard Ronald Steele on his errant three-point attempt which would have given Alabama the lead.[citation needed]

In the Bruins' 2006 Sweet Sixteen comeback victory over Gonzaga, Afflalo and teammate Ryan Hollins, in what was later widely hailed as a classy move, helped the distraught Gonzaga star Adam Morrison off the court after the final buzzer sounded.[6][7] Against Memphis in the Elite Eight, Afflalo was noted by many to be largely responsible for stopping Rodney Carney and helping UCLA advance to the Final Four.[8]

In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, he was named the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 24 points and making several big plays in a 68–55 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.[9] However, his quick foul trouble against the Florida Gators cost his team the ability to successfully compete and the Bruins ended up bowing out of the tournament.[10]

On June 28, 2007, Afflalo was drafted with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons and later signed July 6.[11] In a surprising turn of events, Afflalo made his first career NBA start on November 1, 2007, the opening night of his rookie season, when Richard Hamilton missed the first two games to attend the birth of his son. Afflalo started the team's first and second games during his rookie campaign[12] that culminated with a loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2008 NBA Playoffs.[13]

On February 10, 2011, Afflalo made a 20-foot jump shot at the buzzer over Shawn Marion as Denver beat Dallas 121–120. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 13 in the 4th quarter and were down 119–110 with under 2 minutes to play before pulling off a miraculous upset victory. Afflalo had 19 points in the fourth quarter alone to almost single-handedly power Denver to the win.[17]

On December 3, 2013, he recorded a career-high 43 points and minutes with 52, in a double-overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[19] His previous career-high in points came just less than a month earlier with 36 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 13,[20] where he also made a career-high 8 three-point shots.[21]

On June 26, 2014, Afflalo was traded back to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Evan Fournier and the draft rights to Devyn Marble.[22][23] Afflalo, arguably Orlando's best player in 2013–14, was dealt to avoid concerns that he would opt out of his contract following the 2014–15 season and assured the Magic value in return. The transaction also cleared $6 million in cap space for the team.[24]

On October 29, 2014, Afflalo made his return for the Nuggets, recording 15 points and four rebounds in the season opening 89-79 win over the Detroit Pistons.[25]

On July 9, 2015, Afflalo signed with the New York Knicks. The move reunited him with his former Denver Nuggets teammate Carmelo Anthony.[27] Afflalo missed the first eight games of the regular season with hamstring issues, making his debut for the Knicks on November 11 against the Charlotte Hornets. In 28 minutes as a starter, he recorded 12 points and 6 rebounds in a 95–93 loss.[28] Over his first nine games for the Knicks, Afflalo averaged just 11.2 points per game. He went on to score a season-high 31 points in an overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on November 29.[29] He topped that mark with 38 points against the Atlanta Hawks on January 3, hitting 14-of-17 from the field and 7-of-8 from three-point range.[30]

Afflalo attended Centennial High School two years ahead of rapper Kendrick Lamar, who credited Afflalo's academic and athletic achievements in the first verse of the song "Black Boy Fly", a bonus track from his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. In the song, Lamar described Afflalo as an example of someone who had the "determination, ambition plus dedication and wisdom" to get out of Compton. Afflalo nodded towards Lamar's drive in an interview with XXL, saying "I was almost like the golden child in the city of Compton, or at least at Centennial at that time, considering where I was as a basketball player, and all the positivity I had around me, in terms of school and people appreciating me and showing me love for what I did on the court and in the community at that time in my life. So for him to kind of be in the background and who he is today, it showed you the perseverance that he had for so many years."[34]